


'cause we found strength in each other's arms

by rxginamills



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Earthquakes, F/F, F/M, M/M, Reunions, i love kitty and marley so much, wtf i'm genuinely proud of this, yay enjoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-05-18 12:38:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19334686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rxginamills/pseuds/rxginamills
Summary: Kitty and Marley almost lose each other, and 'almost' is closer than they ever want to get.





	'cause we found strength in each other's arms

**Author's Note:**

> Kitty and Marley are my underrated kids, I love this couple to the moon and back. I hope you enjoy this fic, and if you don't, well, that's alright because I do.

Kitty was buzzing. She set out plates and fixed flower arrangements and threw a little chat with her friends in between all the tasks she had like she was made to be a hostess. She and her friends from McKinley were throwing a big Grammy viewing party. They'd all watch the show together because Mercedes was nominated for her first award. The party was also a great opportunity to catch up with friends.

Kitty smiled as she thought about how well things were turning out for Mercedes. She was successful in her career and in a loving, committed relationship. Maybe someday she’d get married. The thought made Kitty want to marry her girlfriend, Marley, too. 

She and Marley had been together for a number of years and although it had not always been easy, they had made it through. They had gone to different colleges but still maintained a long distance relationship. It was hard and rewarding and it helped them grow as people and as girlfriends too, but they both admitted that they definitely preferred living together and waking up next to each other every morning. 

The party they were holding was taking place at her parents’ house. Considering that it was one of the biggest ones in the neighbourhood, it easily fit all their friends. Kitty’s parents had gracefully lent it for them for the weekend and gone off on a romantic getaway together. They sure as hell deserved it after everything they went through with the kind of person Kitty was in high school. She felt relieved that she was not that person anymore. 

”Oi, Kit!” 

Kitty turned abruptly, jolting out of her thoughts. She noticed that it was Artie who had called out for her. He rolled his chair to her in the kitchen.

”I was just wondering who’s taking care of the music.” 

”I’ve got Kurt, Blaine and Puck handling the entertainment.” 

Artie grinned, ”Sweet. When’s Marley gonna be here?” 

”She’s meeting Sam at McKinley after he finishes work and they’ll go pick up the groceries.” 

Artie held out his fist and Kitty bumped it with her own, chuckling lightly. 

”How’s Tina doing?” she then asked as they moved towards the spacious living room. 

”Good, good! She’s busy with the musical but luckily she doesn’t have rehearsal today.”

Kitty remembered that Tina had gotten a significant role in a rendition of Hairspray and rehearsals were now taking up most of her time. Next Artie told her that his directing work was slowly being noticed on Youtube and other streaming platforms. Kitty was not surprised; Artie’s short films were phenomenal. 

Just as Kitty was about to join Artie and Unique in the living room, the front door opened with a bang. Kitty turned on her heels and felt her heart soften at the sight. 

”Puck— put me down!”

”I must carry the fair lady over the threshold first!”

Puck was walking in with Quinn in his arms. She was laughing uncontrollably as her arms looped around his neck. Kitty loved how much fun they had together. They were always making each other laugh.

”This isn’t even our house and we aren’t married yet — babe!”

”Hey guys!” Kitty waved at them. Puck set Quinn down on the floor and they greeted her.Now that Quinn was standing again, her little baby bump was showing better. She was three months pregnant with her and Puck’s son: their whole life. 

Kurt and Blaine followed the first couple through the door. Kitty welcomed them into her old home and guided them to the living room. Nowadays Kurt was on Broadway, living his dream, and Blaine worked in fashion journalism. 

Kitty looked at the people around her, feeling content in her heart. Not everyone had even arrived yet, but she was already feeling so happy it might have been enough to help her grow wings and make her fly. Not all of them had as glamorous careers as Kurt or Mercedes or Rachel (at least not yet), but they were still happy and successful in what they were doing, and that was enough. 

Greeting friends and feeling the love was making Kitty more and more eager to see her girlfriend. She bounced on her feet and looked outside the window a few times despite knowing that she wouldn't be back just yet. She couldn't wait to cuddle up with her on the couch with a glass of wine and enjoy the Grammys with their company. 

All of a sudden Kitty’s phone started ringing on the kitchen table and she hurried back to pick it up. Her heart leapt in joy as she saw who was calling.

”Talk to me, chérie.”

" _Hey Kitty_."

It was Marley talking on the other end. 

" _Listen, I'm at McKinley now and Sam should be getting out of Glee practice in, like, ten minutes. Then we'll go pick up groceries and come straight to you_."

Kitty let out a sigh of relief, "Please be quick. Everyone is being all friendly and lovey dovey and sweet and it's making me miss you so much."

She heard Marley laugh gently, " _Don't worry. I'll be there giving you kisses sooner than you know it_."

"Promise?"

" _I promise_."

"Okay," Kitty pouted, "I love you Marley."

" _I love you too Kitty. See you soon_." 

"Bye, babe." 

 

* * *

 

Marley leaned against the doorframe of the choir room, listening to the students rehearse with Sam. They all sounded beautiful and reminded her of herself when she had been in Glee Club. She still had fond memories from those days, when her life had taken a drastic turn for the better. 

It didn’t take long for the Glee kids to finish singing, gather their backpacks and leave. Sam stayed behind to arrange sheet notes and put them back into the cupboard. Marley slipped into the room with him.

”Hey!” she exclaimed. Sam turned and smiled, greeting her with a high five.

”Hi Marley,” he said, ”I think I’m just about done here. Let’s go.”

Marley’s heart felt warm at the thought of returning to Kitty. There was nothing she loved more than spending time with her girlfriend. 

Marley stepped back into the hallway while Sam switched off the lights. Just as he was about to close the door behind him, he felt a tremble and lost his footing.

The whole building began to shake violently. Students went running in multiple directions, screaming and looking for places to duck under. The rumbling seemed to only intensify by the minute.

”It’s an earthquake!” Sam yelled. 

”An _earthqua_ — shit!” Marley cursed as she stumbled over. Sam went into the choir room and dove under the piano. Marley followed him as soon as she noticed what his plan was. They held on to each other tightly for safety. Marley squeezed her eyes shut in fear. The school shook for a few more seconds and then it was silent. Marley opened her eyes slowly.

”Is it over?” she whispered.

”I don’t know,” Sam said, ”I wouldn’t count on it.”

As soon as he spoke, the ceiling of the choir room came down and buried them underneath it. 

 

* * *

 

Kitty scrambled out from her place under the table and hurried to check on her friends. The house was still standing, which Kitty found miraculous since the earthquake had been incredibly strong, but a dresser had fallen over and the plates Kitty had set on the table were in pieces on the floor. 

”Is everyone okay?” she asked. Her friends all nodded for yeses. They seemed shocked from the incident. Quinn was hugging Puck and crying a little. 

”That was the strongest earthquake Ohio has seen in years!” Artie exclaimed. 

”It was so weird, there are never earthquakes this bad around here. I hope no one’s hurt.” Tina said and gave Artie a quick hug. Suddenly Kurt gasped from the living room. He was staring at his phone with wide eyes.

”What?” Blaine asked impatiently. Kurt put a hand on his mouth in shock.

”McKinley... it’s in pieces.”

Kitty's heart skipped a beat.

"Are you serious?" Quinn asked with a shaky voice. Kurt showed her the screen and Kitty squeezed in to take a look. It was a text from Mr. Schuester saying that McKinley had suffered greatly and so far no one had emerged from the wreckage. 

"I mean, the school is old, I get why it would come down, but…" Tina hesitated. Kitty's brain blocked out the rest of the sentence. Her heart was beating loudly in her ears, so loudly that she wanted to press her hands on her ears and scream. Her breathing was becoming ragged.

McKinley. 

Wreckage.

Marley.

McKinley.

In pieces.

Marley.

McKinley.

Suffering.

”Marley." 

Kitty let out a weak whisper and fell down on her knees. Tina and Unique rushed next to her, touching her sweaty forehead in concern. Kitty felt her entire body shake in terror.

"Marley," she breathed, "She was there with Sam. I have to call Marley, she was atMcKinley!"

Unique handed Kitty her phone that she found under the couch. Kitty called Marley, barely able to hold up the phone. She was met with voicemail, the unnerving sound that was holdingKitty back from knowing whether or not her girlfriend was okay.

"She's not answering!" she exclaimed, "What if— what if she's hurt? I have to go see her, I— I have to go to McKinley!" 

"Wha- no you don't!" Artie grabbed her arm as she went to stand up, "It's important that we stay indoors, you can't go." 

Kitty started crying, "I love her, Artie. I can't lose her."

"You won't," he put a hand on her shoulder, "I promise you won't."

Kitty stood up from the floor and curled up on the couch with her phone in her hand. Blaine and Puck went to lift the dresser back up and Kurt cleaned up the shards of the plates. Tina was trying to reach Sam unsuccessfully while Unique and Quinn were whispering comforting things to Kitty. Artie was texting their other friends like Rachel, Santana, Brittany and Mike to make sure they were alright. 

Kitty squeezed the phone to her chest, anxiously waiting for a text or a call from Marley. She hated the silence, she hated not knowing if she was even alive. Nothing terrified her more than having to live without her. Marley was her everything. She was her early morning sunshine, her little kiss after work, her future, the woman who she wanted to and would make her wife someday. It went against the universe to have them apart like that.

"She's gonna come back, don't you worry, honey…" Unique whispered in her ear, causing Kitty to snuffle. She really, really hoped Unique was right.

 

* * *

 

Marley opened her eyes carefully and coughed, spreading a puff of dust around her and Sam. They were still squished together under the piano. Sam looked at her as soon as he heard her cough. 

"Are you alright?" he asked hoarsely. Marley nodded as well as she could in their tiny space.

"I think so. Fuck, that was so scary. How are we gonna get out of here?"

They became more aware that they were surrounded by fallen pieces of the ceiling and they were unsure of how long the piano would stand up and keep them safe. It was a miracle that it was even holding together.

"We're gonna be rescued. Someone's gonna come for us. Mr. Schue has probably alerted people already." Sam explained.

Marley could hear the fear in Sam's voice and began looking around if there was a little crack or hole for her to peek through. She found a tiny one where air was flowing through. It eased her heart just a little bit. Maybe they wouldn't choke under the piano where they had taken refuge.

"I hope the students are okay," Sam mumbled, "We did so well at Glee rehearsals today. We're doing all ABBA for Regionals and it's gonna be so great. Our solo is The Winner Takes It All and our two group numbers are Super Trouper and Money, Money, Money. The crowd's gonna go crazy, Vocal Adrenaline doesn't stand a chance." 

Marley smiled as Sam got lost in his explanation. She could hear in his voice how much he cared for his students and the Glee Club. It only reminded Marley of her Glee days with Kitty, who was probably worried sick at home. The thought of her worrying so much twisted Marley's stomach into a knot. 

A few pebbles fell outside the pile of rubble and took a bigger piece with them. Marley swallowed heavily and laid her head on the floor, "Oh, I really hope we get out of here soon." 

 

* * *

  

Kitty had gone through every app on her phone twice while waiting for updates from Mr. Schuester. Students had appeared from the ruins of the school, but there was no sign of Marley or Sam. Kitty felt cold at heart; she carries sunshine and daisies in her chest but with every text message they died just a little bit, leaving behind only aching. 

Tina tried to get Kitty to eat something and she took a bite out of a sandwich to please her friend but in truth eating was the last thing on her mind. Kitty thought that it was almost sad how much of her life revolved around Marley, but when she fell for the girl, she fell _hard_ , and there was no falling out of that love. It was hard to concentrate on anything when a person she loved that much was in danger. 

"What if she's just… gone?" Kitty breathed absent-mindedly. Streaks of black mascara were staining her cheeks. 

"Don't say that, Kitty," Quinn said gently, "The rescue team's working on the school all the time."

Kitty sighed, "But we haven't heard anything for _hours_ — " 

"They have to be very careful, that's why they're slow. If they rush things the school might fall apart more and it could just crush anyone left inside." Quinn explained. Kitty shuddered at the thought and sunk into the couch. She feared for anyone left inside the school. Marley was the love of her life, but Sam was a dear friend of hers too. She could see how much joy working at McKinley brought him and now he was trapped under the ruins of the building. 

"I hope Sam's okay too." Kitty whispered. Tina leaned her head on her shoulder. 

"All we can do is wait," she said, "And hopefully Mr. Schue can provide us with good news sooner or later."

 

* * *

 

Marley was slowly losing consciousness. The little air hole they had was not much and Marley had crawled back to let Sam lay by the opening for once. He was growing dizzier too, and Marley was terrified to think what would happen to them once they both blacked out. 

She wasn't a fool; she knew that the chances of things ending well for them were small if the rescue team didn't reach them soon enough. As the hours passed she found herself doubting that there even was a rescue team in the first place. The legs of the piano were slowly splintering and if it fell it would mean the end for Sam and Marley. 

Suddenly Marley started to weep, quietly at first, but then growing more miserable. Sam moved back from the air hole and lay on the floor next to her. Tears pooled in her eyes before they fell down her cheeks. Sam pulled her closer.

"Hey, don't cry," he said comfortingly, "I'm here next to you and we're gonna get out." 

"I'm just so scared," Marley cried, "I wanna go home and see Kitty and our friends and my mom but - but I'm lying here in the choir room under a pile of rubble and we're inhaling dust and I don't think I can breathe and - "

"Marley! Marley, Marley, Marley," Sam stopped the woman from rambling, "I wanna see our friends too. I wanna see my parents and my little siblings. I'm losing consciousness as we speak and I can barely breathe in this tiny space under this - this shattering, broken piano, and I _still_ know that we're gonna make it!" 

"How?!" 

"Because," Sam's voice broke, "One of us has to have faith. One of us has to believe that we'll make it. And if that person isn't you, well… I'm going to have faith for the both of us." 

He snuffled, "Our friends are persistent and stubborn and annoying and they will not give up on us. They would never."

"You think I'm going to see Kitty again?" Marley squeaked like a little mouse in a cartoon. Sam grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"I _promise_ you'll see her again."

Marley was quiet for a moment. Then she closed her eyes and let her head fall against Sam's shoulder.

"Thanks for being here with me, Sam." 

"Hey, that's what friends are for, right?"

As Sam quieted down as well, the rubble suddenly made a large cracking sound. Marley's eyes flashed open instantly and she automatically grasped Sam's hand even tighter, holding it for safety. The sounds were coming from outside the pile. 

"Oh shit, now it's falling on us!" Marley exclaimed. 

The sound kept coming closer and closer. Marley saw the air hole growing in size and sucked in the gust of air that came through. 

Sam frowned, "Wait - " 

Then, within the blink of an eye, a large stone slab was removed from on top of the piano. Light spread everywhere around Marley. Air filled her lungs and she began coughing violently. Sam coughed too, blinking rapidly as his eyes were getting used to the light. That's when it hit them both: they were going to be free!

A gloved hand took hold of Marley's arm and helped her crawl out of the tight space. Sam was not far behind her. As soon as they were both out, they hugged each other tightly, both of them in tears. Then the rescue workers surrounded them, asking question after question as they came. 

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" 

"I'm okay," Marley breathed in a raspy voice, "I'm fine, I - "

"Can you stand?"

"I - yeah, I think so."

"Alright, let's get you two out of here." 

Marley took shaky steps outside the choir room, still holding Sam's arm. Her surroundings were still spinning a little in her eyes, but it was nothing she couldn't overcome. In the next few moments she felt Mr. Schue take both her and Sam into a warm embrace. She could feel from the intensity of the hug that he was relieved to see them safe. 

After hugging Mr. Schue, Marley and Sam were taken to the medics for a check up. Marley stretched her limbs and looked around at the full destruction zone. Her heart shattered at the sight of her old high school in such a devastating state. 

"I told you we'd be okay." Sam said as a nurse checked him for any wounds. Marley chuckled weakly.

"I just wanna go home." 

After getting the all-clear from the nurse, Sam and Marley piled into the backseat of Mr. Schue's car. Marley gave him the address to Kitty's parents' house. She folded her hands on her lap and leaned her head on Sam's shoulder. She let out a huge sigh of relief. Now all that there was left to do was for her to see her sweet Kitty again. 

 

* * *

 

Kitty had almost been asleep when it happened. Kurt got a text from Mr. Schue, which was nothing new by that time, but the way the man reacted gained her attention. Kurt slammed his hand on his mouth as he stared at the phone. The white light of the screen illuminated his face, highlighting the tears that were about to fall out. Kitty leapt up from the couch. 

"What is it?" she hissed. Kurt looked into her eyes, and that in itself was enough to tell her what she wanted to know. 

"They found Marley and Sam."

" _What?_ " came from multiple directions as Quinn, Unique, Artie and Blaine all yelled it at the same time. They all gathered around Kurt. 

"Mr. Schue says that they rescued them from the choir room and that they're okay! Th - they're alright!" he exclaimed. Everyone in the room started to cheer victoriously. Kitty hugged Kurt as tight as she could. She felt like she could exhale again. The knowledge that Marley would come back to her, that she was okay and _alive_ kept her going _._

Kurt brushed his hands down Kitty's back, letting her hug him as long as she needed to. Blaine came to their side and pressed a kiss on the side of Kurt's head and then kissed Kitty's head too. 

"She's gonna - she's gonna come back," Kitty wailed, "She's gonna - I'm gonna see her - oh my god - "

"Hi honey," a voice suddenly interrupted everything Kitty was doing. The rest of the world moved in slow motion, as if Kitty had been thrown into a young adult romance movie. She turned towards the door, where the source of the voice stood.

"I'm home." Marley finished her sentence and tried to wipe her tears with her hand. Kitty didn't waste a second. She ran into her waiting arms and wrapped her own around Marley's neck. She held on to her girlfriend like a life buoy and allowed herself to sob freely. Marley twirled her around once and then pulled her closer, if such thing was even possible. Behind them Sam and Mr. Schue went to hug the others. 

"I love you so much," Kitty cried, "I love you so much, Marley Rose."

"I love you too, Kitty." Marley squeezed her eyes shut and tried to engrave the moment into her brain. She was standing there on her two legs, free and safe and holding the love of her life in her arms. She never wanted to forget how Kitty's hair smelled or what her voice sounded like or what her touch felt like when they hugged so desperately. 

"Please never leave me again, please, I was so scared for you." Kitty mumbled as she pulled back from her hug with Marley a little bit and kissed her face all over. Marley stopped her by cupping her face and pulling her into one, tender kiss. Kissing Kitty felt like returning home.

"It's a promise." 

 


End file.
